Emmett says she won't accept appointment to Greencastle council

November 05, 2009|By JENNIFER FITCH

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- A day after losing her seat on the Greencastle Borough Council to a political newcomer, Democratic incumbent Michele Emmett said she will not apply for or accept an appointment to the council.

Both Emmett and Republican Matthew Smith ran for open two- and four-year terms on the council.

Smith won two council seats Tuesday, but by law he can only fill one, said Franklin County Deputy Chief Clerk Jean Byers.

It will be up to the council to appoint someone to fill the seat not chosen by Smith, she said.

Emmett said taking such an offer would be like slapping voters in the face.

"The voters spoke," she said. "They voted and while they could have chosen me, they didn't. Accepting an appointment when the voters clearly did not chose me would be a slap in the face to them."

A registered Democrat, Emmett said she anticipated losing her seat before the polls even opened.

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"This is a heavily partisan area," she said. "I fully expected to lose. I'm a Democrat. I cannot remember when a Democrat won a contested race in Greencastle."

While she said she would have been honored to serve another term on the board, she will take the will of the people as it is and bow out gracefully.

Smith said he was both excited and overwhelmed to have received such support from the community.

His victory, he credits to his family, particularly his grandmother, for sending votes his way on Tuesday.

Unaware of what he was getting into, he said he petitioned for both the two- and four-year openings to better his chances of winning a seat on the board.

He said he plans to choose the four-year seat.

"I know I want to be on the board," he said. "In a four-year term, I don't have to worry about doing this again in two years."

Just as Smith credits his Democratic grandmother for helping him win, Republican John Alleman credits his Democratic nomination for preventing his win.

For the second time, Alleman failed to secure a seat on the five-member Antrim Township Board of Supervisors.

Still reeling from the shock of his narrow loss to incumbent Fred Young III, Alleman said he believes that for the second time, being the Democratic nominee hurt his chances.

The victory came as a pleasant surprise to Young, who said he was preparing himself for the worst until the final precinct reported.